I am a mother of 2 boys (14months & 7years), I am a new stay at home mom getting used to the life. This blog is to share my day to days, my concerns, my silliness, my accomplishments and my failures. In hopes that we can all learn from each other as a community how to deal with life, as my mom used to say, "One day at a time."

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I am back!

It has been about 8 months since I have written a
post and I miss the good feeling I get when I write something in the hope that
I may help out someone else. The reason for the time away is because I have had
some major life changes. I quit my job trying to change career. Then decided I
was going to give myself more time to prepare for my new career and stay home
longer with my boys. I always knew that my life was way too full and I really
needed to prioritize!

Now, I am not saying go out and quit your job! This
decision was not an easy decision for me or my partner. However, for us I think
it was the right one. Back in July, I really fell apart. I was so unhappy with
just about everything I was doing. I did not like my job. I missed my new born
baby during the day so much and I felt I was neglecting my older son in the
evenings. Home life was a mess and we just did not have time for anything and
we were too tired to care.

I have always wanted to be a teacher. I can
remember playing as a young girl and pretending to be a teacher to my dolls and
stuffed animals. I never had a doubt when people asked me "What do you
want to be when you grow up?" I always knew the answer was a teacher!
However, as most people know, life happens. I did start college with a pursuit
of a degree in Secondary Social Science Education. Towards the end of my
Schooling I got a divorce and was suddenly a single mom without a job. I
searched and searched like a maniac to find ANY job. I was really blessed when
I was offered a career in Finance for a really well known and established
Television Channel. The downfall was that I have always hated disliked
math a whole lot. I have struggled with numbers my whole life. Well, I did not
have the luxury of being choosy and I knew that this was a great opportunity
for me to be able to provide for my 1 year old and me. It turned out to be ok.
I learned tons and continued there for 6 yrs. During this time I was not able
to continue my education degree because I was not going to be able to do the
student teaching that was necessary to graduate. So, in my senior year I
changed major to Liberal Arts and finally graduated with a Bachelor’s degree.

When I met Robert, I knew he was an amazing man
right from the beginning. He has always been a supportive and loving person to
my son, Brandon and I. We were blessed a couple of years later with our
precious little baby, Austin. Things were manageable because we made it work
but I was just not happy with the kind of lifestyle I was living. I did not
feel that this is what life was all about for us. I knew we could change
things, but I also knew it was not going to be an easy journey. I looked over
our home finances extensively and I knew that it was not going to be easy but
it was definitely not impossible to live on his income alone. Robert and I
spoke tremendously about my unhappiness and he did not fail to be the
supportive boyfriend he has always been. He encouraged me to follow my dreams.
So I made the scary jump and became a stay at home mom.

We have cut down on unnecessary expenses and tried
to budget ourselves. Without Daycare, extra gas, going out for lunch and
dinners we have found a comfortable spending habit. We are still trying to work
on our budget because we have been so used to living on two incomes that it has
been a major life style change for us and we do not have it perfect yet.
However, the time I am spending with and for my family is making me so much
happier than money can ever make me. Being a stay at home mom is the hardest
job I have ever had and the most rewarding. This is not a job for everyone. For
me though, it has been the best decision I have made so far.

In the meantime, I am studying for my education
certification. (I have 3 tests to take to become certified) I am trying to
figure out my new stay at home schedule with my now 1 year old. I am also, after schooling with my 7 yr. old
son, 7 yr. old nephew and 8 yr. old niece. As if that is not enough, I am also trying
to organize my home, creating a cleaning schedule, meal planning and nurturing
all of my relationships. Follow me in all of my new pursuit. Maybe we can
encourage each other. Especially since I know I might need a lot of help to get
this all together. One day at a time...